Engagement season has recently passed, and all you bride-to-bes out here are probably into PLANNING MODE. Part of the wedding planning process is the honeymoon planning, which is extremely important. It will be your calm after the storm, and you will sleep a lot (it will be necessary). If you are thinking of going to Mexico for your honeymoon, like my husband and I did, here are some things to help you plan, as well as some things that will help you once you’re there!
- Set a budget. This one may seem obvious, but there is a reason it is first. Depending on how you plan your honeymoon (travel agent, plan-it-yourself, hotel vs. resort), different fees can rack up. I would suggest having a budget for booking the honeymoon, and a separate budget for when you get there. If you spend your whole budget on your plane ticket and resort, you won’t have anything left for sightseeing and adventures! Making seperate budgets for booking/souvenirs/adventures will help keep you from overspending.
- They have different money! In Mexico they use pesos, but most places will accept American dollars, too. However it is good to have some pesos with you while you are there. One way to do this is to use a credit card (I have CapitalOne and had no snags). Once you get to the resort, the front desk can give you an amount of money and charge it to your credit card. Be sure to set up a ‘traveling status’ on your card before your trip or your bank might think it’s fraud, shut down the card, and create an unnecessary hassle.
- Get your passport. Ok you should have done this a while ago, because it can take up to 3 months to get everything finalized. If you plan on going on your honeymoon within a week after your wedding, I would suggesting getting a passport in your maiden name. You won’t have time to change your name before the trip, and it is easier to have your name matching on all documents while you are there. If you want tips on how to change your name AFTER the honeymoon, check out Megan’s post!
- Consider your resort options. I would 100% recommend staying at an all inclusive adults only resort in Mexico. My husband and I stayed at Secrets Maroma, and it was incredible. I loved being able to walk up to any bar at any time and get whatever I wanted (which was pretty much a margarita, daiquiri, or mudslide)… but the best was the food. OH THE FOOD. I love food, and being able to get whatever I wanted without having to worry about price was a dream come true. Anyway, enough talking about the food (I’ll just think about it fondly as I write…). A family friendly resort is going to have a different vibe than an adults only place. Do you want kids running around you while you try to relax? If you don’t care, good for you- but I wanted no interruptions during my days of doing nothing.
- Plan adventures, don’t sit on your butt the whole time! I know, after wedding planning, you’re tired. But don’t let that stop you from making new memories in your new marriage! In Mexico there are so many historical places to visit, or adventures to experience. My husband and I did a tour of Tulum, snorkeling, zip lining, cave diving, four wheeling, and there were so many other options, too! It was worth getting up early to get those wonderful experiences. I do highly recommend planning through the resort you stay at (another reason why I recommend a resort). We worked with Apple Vacations (they pretty much did our whole trip). They give you a time to be at the front, and a guy comes to drive you where you need to be- no hassle at all!
- Always have tip money with you. Now, remember when I suggested an all-inclusive resort? That usually implies ‘tips included’… and it might even say that on your paperwork. However, I learned that people still expect tips. Whether it’s at the resort during dinner, or your driver to and from adventures, or the man who brings you your bag at the end of the trip, EVERYONE is working for that tip. Which makes sense, since the minimum wage is Mexico is CRAZY low. Be generous and give tips when they are appropriate. As long as it is an amount your comfortable with, I’m sure the workers will be very appreciative.
- Beware of naked beachgoers and people wanting to sell you crap! These were my two real complaints during my honeymoon (which are so extremely minor and did not affect the amazing time I had). First of all, people lay around with however much OR little clothing they want. I saw boobs when I did not expect it. Some people are fine with that, and more power to you. However, when you aren’t expecting it, it’s a little more of a shock. Secondly, there are people walking up and down the beach that are trying to sell you hats, jewelry, blankets (it’s hot, who buys blankets on a Mexican beach?), and much more. If you politely shake your head and move along, they will go onto the next leathery American and you can go back to doing absolutely nothing.
- Watch what you eat and drink. In no way am I saying to count calories… they do not exist for the first year of marriage as far as I am concerned. I sacrificed too much the year before the wedding to look how I wanted in my wedding dress… I deserve this now. Anyway- I’m sure you have heard that you are not supposed to drink the water in Mexico. This is true. They usually provide water bottles in your room, and we used that to brush our teeth- no chances taken! Some people say to ask for water with no ice while you are at resort’s restaurant, but we didn’t do that and we survived. You will also have opportunities to eat new and exotic sounding foods, but beware. It doesn’t matter that it’s Mexico- if you eat steak tar-tar (raw steak) and escargot (raw snail) in the same night, you will pay. I know from experience. BRING TUMS. BRING ADVIL. BRING PROBIOTICS. I just saved you, you’re welcome. If I didn’t have these things on my honeymoon, oh Lord it would have sucked. Live outside of your food comfort zone, but for the love of God take some Tums.
Happy planning! If you have a more specific question, feel free to comment below.
No matter where you have your honeymoon, it will be a memorable trip with the love of your life. Now where’s my margarita?
~Eleni
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